Innocent Essay

The President of the United States proudly handed over a sample of his urine last weekend, before an unrelated urological examination, to prove that the Oval Office is a ''drug-free workplace.'' The Vice President is scheduled to deliver his specimen to drug testers today, demonstrating he has neither a narcotics addiction nor mind of his own.

This spectacle is supposed to be an example to us all. By showing their readiness to submit to analysis of body fluids, the nation's two highest elected officials are saying: ''See? Nothing to it. If we are willing to prove ourselves innocent of drug abuse, why not you?''

They are setting an example, all right, but of something else. Once again, in panicky response to public concern about weakness in law enforcement, the Reagan Administration is undermining three of the most basic rights guaranteed by the Founders: No person shall be required to testify against himself; each of us is protected against unlawful searches; and every person is innocent until proved guilty.

Ah, but you see, say the drugocrats, who claim the criminals are too much for them, all this is voluntary. Nobody is being forced to bring a specimen to work every morning. What sophistry. Does anyone think that when the President said to Mr. Bush, ''I'm doing this, how about you?'' the Vice President had any choice about ''volunteering'' or not? If he had declined, poor George would have been under suspicion of political disloyalty, softness on crisis management, and hiding an uncontrollable habit. Like everyone in a ''voluntary'' drug test, he was forced to go along by employer expectation and peer pressure.

Consider what else the White House example has shown. Nancy Reagan, whose drug consultant came up with this crack-brained stunt, is not personally leading the I'm-clean demonstration. Why not? Does she have something to hide?

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The Death Penalty and the Innocent Essay

1573 Words7 Pages

In the United States, many crimes are considered to be punishable by a life sentence or a sentence of a few years. However, many crimes have earned people capital punishment, also known as the death penalty. The first known death penalty was acknowledge by a legal document known as the Code of Hummarubi. In this document, written in the 1700s, it is mentioned that twenty-five crimes were punished by death. The crimes included being unfaithful to one's partner and even helping slaves escape (Guernsey, 2009). By 1846, the state of Michigan became one of the first US states to abolish the death penalty for all committed crimes. Michigan now replaces the death penalty with life imprisonment (Bohm, 2007). However, then the inventor Thomas…show more content…

In the United States, many crimes are considered to be punishable by a life sentence or a sentence of a few years. However, many crimes have earned people capital punishment, also known as the death penalty. The first known death penalty was acknowledge by a legal document known as the Code of Hummarubi. In this document, written in the 1700s, it is mentioned that twenty-five crimes were punished by death. The crimes included being unfaithful to one's partner and even helping slaves escape (Guernsey, 2009). By 1846, the state of Michigan became one of the first US states to abolish the death penalty for all committed crimes. Michigan now replaces the death penalty with life imprisonment (Bohm, 2007). However, then the inventor Thomas Edison conducted his experiment on the use of electrocution on animals. In 1890, New York State became the first state to practice execution by electrocution on an electric chair on William Kemmler. This method then became a preferred method of execution (Guernsey, 2009). By 1924, the first lethal gas in American history was carried out in Carson City, Nev. It was known as a less severe execution compared to hanging, firing squad, or electrocution (The history channel, 2009). Many states, including Washington State, Connecticut, and recently Maryland have suspended the idea of the death penalty. Even though many perpetrators have committed a criminal offence and have affected many families, and the families might want the worst for that person,